COVERAGE OF LEARNING OBJECTIVESManagerial Accounting and the Business Organization1-A1 (10-15 min.)Because the accountant's duties are often not sharply defined, some of these answers could be challenged:1. Attention directing and problem solving. Budgeting involves makingdecisions about planned activities -- hence, aiding problem solving.Budgets also direct attention to areas of opportunity or concern --hence, directing attention. Reporting against the budget also has ascorekeeping dimension.2. Problem solving. Helps a manager assess the impact of a decision.3. Scorekeeping. Reports on the results of an operation. Could also beattention direction if scrap is an area that might require management decisions.4. Attention directing. Focuses attention on areas that need attention.5. Attention directing. Helps managers learn about the informationcontained in a performance report.6. Scorekeeping. The statement merely reports what has happened.7. Problem solving. The cost comparison is apparently useful becausethe manager wishes to decide between two alternatives. Thus, it aids problem solving.8. Attention directing. Variances point out areas where results differfrom expectations. Interpreting them directs attention to possiblecauses of the differences.9. Problem solving. Aids a decision about where the parts should bemade.10. Scorekeeping. Determining a depreciation schedule is simply anexercise in preparing financial statements to report the results ofactivities.1. Budgeted Actual DeviationsAmounts Amounts or Variances Room rental $ 140 $ 140 $ 0Food 800 1,008 208UEntertainment 600 600 0Decorations 220 190 30FTotal $1,760 $1,938 $178U2. Because of the management by exception rule, room rental andentertainment require no explanation. The actual expenditure forfood exceeded the budget by $208. Of this $208, $150 is explained by attendance of 15 persons more than budgeted (at a budget of $10 per person) and $58 is explained by expenditures above $10 per person.Actual expenditures for decorations were $30 less than the budget. If all desired decorations were purchased, the decorations committee should be commended for their savings.1-A3 (10 min.)All of the situations raise possibilities for violation of the integrity standard. In addition, the manager in each situation must address an additional ethical standard:1. The General Mills manager must respect the confidentiality standard.He or she should not disclose any information about the new cereal.2. Roberto must address his level of competence for the assignment. Ifhis supervisor knows his level of expertise and wants an analysisfrom a “layperson” point of view, he should do it. However, if thesupervisor expects an expert analysis, Roberto must admit his lackof competence.3. The objectivity standard should cause Helen to decline to omit theinformation from her budget. It is relevant information, and itsomission may mislead readers of the budget.Because the accountant’s duties are often not sharply defined, some of these answers could be challenged:1. Scorekeeping. Records events.2. Scorekeeping. Simply recording of what has happened.3. Problem solving. Helps a manager decide between alternatives.4. Attention directing. Directs attention to the use of overtime labor.5. Problem solving. Provides information to managers for decidingbetween alternatives.6. Attention directing. Directs attention to why nursing costs increased.7. Attention directing. Directs attention to areas where actual resultsdiffered from the budget.8. Problem solving. Helps the vice-president to decide which course ofaction is best.9. Scorekeeping. Records costs in the department to which theybelong.10. Scorekeeping. Records actual overtime costs.11. Attention directing. Directs attention to stores with either high or lowratios of advertising expenses to sales.12. Attention directing. Directs attention to causes of returns of the drug.13. Attention directing or problem solving, depending on the use of theschedule. If it is to identify areas of high fuel usage it is attentiondirecting. If it is to plan for purchases of fuel, it is problem solving. 14. Problem solving. Provides information for deciding between twoalternative courses of action.15. Scorekeeping. Records items needed for financial statements.1 & 2. Budget Actual VarianceSales $75,000 $74,860 $ 140UCosts:Fireworks $35,000 $39,500 $4,500ULabor 15,000 13,000 2,000FOther 8,000 8,020 20UProfit $17,000 $14,340 $2,660U3. The cost of fireworks was $4,500 ÷ $35,000 = 13% over budget. Didfireworks suppliers raise their prices? Did competition cause retailprices to be lower than expected? There should be someexplanation for the extra cost of fireworks. Also, the labor cost was$2,000 ÷ $15,000 =13% below budget. It would be useful to discover why this cost was saved. Both sales and other costs were very close to budget.1-B3 (10 - 15 min.)1. Treasurer. Analysts affect the company's ability to raise capital,which is the responsibility of the treasurer.2. Controller. Advising managers aids operating decisions.3. Controller. Advice on cost analysis aids managers' operatingdecisions.4. Controller. Divisional financial statements report on operations.Financial statements are generally produced by the controller'sdepartment.5. Treasurer. Financing the business is the responsibility of thetreasurer.6. Controller. Tax returns are part of the accounting process overseenby the controller.7. Treasurer. Insurance, as with other risk management activities, isusually the responsibility of the treasurer.8. Treasurer. Allowing credit is a financial decision.1-1 Decision makers within and outside an organization use accounting information for three broad purposes:1. Internal reporting to managers for planning and controllingoperations.2. Internal reporting to managers for special decision-making and long-range planning.3. External reporting to stockholders, government, and other interestedparties.1-2 The emphasis of financial accounting has traditionally been on the historical data presented in the external reports. Management accounting emphasizes planning and control purposes.1-3 The branch of accounting described in the quotation is management accounting.1-4 Scorekeeping is the recording of data for a later evaluation of performance. Attention directing is the reporting and interpretation of information for the purpose of focusing on inefficiencies of operation or opportunities for improvement. Problem solving presents a concise analysis of alternative courses of action.1-5 GAAP applies to publicly issued annual financial reports. Internal accounting reports are not restricted by GAAP.1-6 Yes, but it covers more than that. The Foreign Corrupt Practices Act applies to all publicly-held companies and covers the quality of internal accounting control as well as bribes and other matters.1-7 Users cannot easily observe the quality of accounting information. Thus, they rely on the integrity of accountants to be sure the information is accurate. Information that is unreliable is worthless, so if accountants do not have a reputation for integrity, the information they produce will not have value.1-8 Three examples of service organizations are banks, insurance companies, and public accounting firms. Such organizations tend to be labor intensive, have outputs that are difficult to define and measure, and have both inputs and outputs that are difficult or impossible to store.1-9 Two considerations are cost-benefit balance and behavioral effects. Cost-benefit balance refers to how well an accounting system helps achieve management's goals in relation to the cost of the system. The behavioral consideration specifies that an accounting system should be judged by how it will affect the behavior (that is, decisions) of managers.1-10 Yes. The act of recording events has become as much a part of operating activities as the act of selling or buying. For example, cash receipts and disbursements must be traced, and receivables and payables must be recorded, or else gross confusion would ensue.1-11 A budget is a prediction and guide; a performance report is a tabulation of actual results compared with the budget; and a variance reconciles the differences between budget and actual.1-12 No. Management by exception means that management spends more effort on those areas that seem to be out of control and less on areas that are functioning as planned. This method is an efficient way for managers to decide where to put their time and effort.1-13 No. There is no perfect system of automatic control, nor does accounting control anything. Accounting is a tool used by managers in their control of operations.1-14 Information that is relevant for decisions about a product depends on the product's life-cycle stage. Therefore, to prepare and interpret information, accountants should be aware of the current stage of a product's life cycle.1-15 The six functions are: (1) research and development – generation and experimentation with new ideas; (2) product and service process design – detailed design and engineering of products; (3) production – use of resources to produce a product or service; (4) marketing - informing customers of the value and features of products or services; (5) distribution – delivering products or services to customers; and (6) customer service –support provided to customers.1-16 No. Not all of the functions are of equal importance to the success of a company. Measurement and reporting should focus on those functions that enable a company to gain and maintain a competitive edge.1-17 Line managers are directly responsible for the production and sale of goods or services. Staff managers have an advisory function – they support line managers.1-18 Management accountants are the information specialists, even in non-hierarchical companies. However, in such companies they are more directly involved with managers and are often parts of cross-functional teams.1- 19 A treasurer is concerned mainly with the company's financial matters, the controller with operating matters. In large organizations, there are sufficient activities associated with both financial and operating matters to justify two separate positions. In a small organization the same person might be both treasurer and controller.1-20 The four parts of the CMA examination are: (1) economics, finance, and management, (2) financial accounting and reporting, (3) management reporting, analysis, and behavioral issues, and (4) decision analysis and information systems.1-21 This is not true. About one-third of CEOs come from finance or accounting backgrounds. Accounting is excellent preparation for top management positions because accountants are often exposed to many parts of the company early in their careers.1-22 Changes in technology are affecting how accountants operate. They must be able to account for e-commerce transactions efficiently and safely, they often must integrate their accounting systems into ERP systems, and an increasing number are beginning to use XBRL to communicate information electronically.1-23 The essence of the just-in-time philosophy is the elimination of waste, accomplished by reducing the time products spend in the production process and trying to eliminate the time spent in processes that do not add value to the product.1-24 Moving tools and products that are in process from one location to another in a plant is an activity that does not add value to the product. So changing the plant layout to eliminate wasted movement and time improves production efficiency.1-25 The four major responsibilities are: (1) competence - develop knowledge; know and obey laws, regulations, and technical standards; and perform appropriate analyses, (2) confidentiality - refrain from disclosing or using confidential information, (3) integrity - avoid conflicts of interest, refuse gifts that might influence actions, recognize limitations, and avoid activities that might discredit the profession, and (4) objectivity - communicate information fairly, objectively, and completely, within confidentiality constraints.1-26 Standards do not always provide the needed guidance. Sometimes an action borders on being unethical, but it is not clearly an ethical violation. Other times two ethical standards conflict. In situations such as these, accountants must make ethical judgments.1-27 (5-10 min.)Typical activities associated with the treasurer function include:❑Provision of capital❑Investor relations❑Short-term financing❑Banking and custody❑Credits and collections❑Investments❑Risk managementTypical activities associated with the controller function include:❑Planning for control❑Reporting and interpreting❑Evaluating and consulting❑Tax administration❑Government reporting❑Protection of assets❑Economic appraisal1-28 (5-10 min.)Activities 2, 4, 5, and 6 are primarily associated with marketing decisions. The management accountant would assist in these decisions as follows: Boeing Company’s pricing decision requires cost data relevant to the new method of distributing spare parts. will need to know the costs of the advertising program as well as the additional costs of other value chain functions resulting from increased sales. TexMex Foods will need to know the incremental revenues and incremental costs associated with the special order. Target Stores needs to know the impact on both revenues and costs of closing one of its stores.Activities 1, 7, and 8 are primarily associated with production decisions. The management accountant would assist in these decisions as follows. Porsche Motor Company needs an analysis of the costs associated with purchasing the part compared to the costs of making the part. Dell will need to know the costs of the training program and the savings associated with increased efficiencies in the setup and changeover activities. General Motors needs to know the costs and salvage values of the replacement equipment, the proceeds of the sale of the old equipment, and the operating savings associated with the use of the new equipment.1-30 (5 min.)1. Management 4. Management 7. Financial2. Management 5. Management3. Financial 6. Financial1. Performance ReportBudget Actual Variance Explanation Revenues $220,000 $228,000 $8,000 F Additional salesfrom newproducts* Advertising cost 15,000 16,500 (1,500) U New advertisingCampaignNet $6,500 F* From the New Products Report, seven new products were added. This exceeded the plan to add six.2.Factors that may not have been considered include:a.The costs of new products may have exceeded their price.b.Customer satisfaction with new products may not have been partof the new products report.petitors’ reactions to the Starbucks store’s actions may nothave been anticipated.d.External uncontrollable factors such as increases in operatingcosts, adverse weather, changes in the overall economy, newcompetitors entering the market, or key employee turnover mayhave decreased efficiency.1-32 (5 min.)1. Line, support 3. Staff, marketing 5. Staff, support2. Staff, support 4. Line, marketing 6. Line, productionMicrosoft is a company that most students will know and have some understanding of what functions its managers perform. Nevertheless, this may not be an easy exercise for those who have little knowledge of how companies operate.Research & development – Because software companies must continually come out with new products and upgrades to their current products this is a critical function for Microsoft. More than one-fourth of Microsoft’s operating expenses are devoted to R&D.Design of products, services, or processes – For Microsoft the design and R&D process probably overlap considerably. Product design is critical; process design is probably not. One essential part of design is beta testing – that is, field testing of new software. This quality-control step is essential to prevent customer dissatisfaction with new products.Production – Microsoft produces disks and CD-ROMs and the manuals and packaging to go with them. However, they are increasingly delivering software over the Internet, which takes an initial process design and then few resources. It is not likely a major focus for Microsoft.Marketing – Microsoft spends more on sales and marketing than on any other operating expense. Increasing competition in software sales makes marketing essential to the company’s future. This function includes advertising and direct marketing activities, but it also includes activities of the company’s sales force. Distribution – This function is becoming simpler for Microsoft as it delivers more and more software over the Internet. Although the company must stay abreast of competitors in delivery methods, this is not likely to create a major competitive advantage or disadvantage for Microsoft.Customer service – Customer service is important, but Microsoft tries to minimize its costs in this area by product design – making things work right without needing deep computer expertise. Still, poor customer service can severely impact a company, so Microsoft must attend to it.Support functions – Most of the time these are not a major focus. There is one exception recently for Microsoft. Legal support has been front and center. The very future of the company was based on court judgments for which good legal support was essential.The management accountant's major purpose is to provide information that helps line managers in making decisions regarding the planning and controlling of operations. The accountant supplies information for scorekeeping, attention directing, and problem solving. In turn, managers use this and other information for routine and non-routine decisions and for evaluating subordinates and the performance of sub-parts of the organization. Management accountants must walk a delicate line between (1) making sure that managers are properly using the pertinent information and (2) making sure that the managers, not the accountants, are doing the actual managing.1-35(5 min.)Other costs of a poor ethical environment include legal costs and costs due to high employee turnover. Other benefits of a good ethical environment include low employee turnover, low loss from internal theft, and improved customer satisfaction resulting from better quality and service (that result from a more productive work environment).1-36(5 min.)There are numerous examples.“You understand how important it is to record this sale before year end, don’t you?”“Doing it this way is common for all companies in our business, so don’t worry!”“Trust me, the inventory is at the warehouse.”This problem can form the basis of an introductory discussion of the entire field of management accounting.1. The focus of management accounting is on helping internal users tomake better decisions, whereas the focus of financial accounting ison helping external users to make better decisions. Managementaccounting helps in making a host of decisions, including pricing,product choices, investments in equipment, making or buying goods and services, and manager rewards.2. Generally accepted accounting standards or principles affect bothinternal and external accounting. However, change in internalaccounting is not inhibited by generally accepted principles. Forexample, if an organization wants to account for assets on the basisof replacement costs for internal purposes, no outside agency canprohibit such accounting. Of course, this means that organizationsmay have to keep more than one set of records. There is nothingimmoral or unethical about having multiple sets of books, but theyareexpensive. Accounting data are commodities, just like butter or eggs.Innovations in internal accounting systems must meet the samecost-benefit tests that other commodities endure. That is, theirperceived increases in benefits must exceed their perceivedincreases in costs. Ultimately, benefits are measured by whetherbetter decisions are forthcoming in the form of increased net profitsor cost savings.3. Budgets, the formal expressions of management plans, are a majorfeature of management accounting, whereas they are not asprominent in financial accounting. Budgets are major devices forcompelling and disciplining management planning.4. An important use of management accounting information is theevaluation of performance, which often takes the form of comparisonof actual results against budgets, providing incentives and feedback to improve future decisions.5.Accounting systems have an enormous influence on the behavior ofindividuals affected by them. Management accounting is moreconcerned with the likely behavioral effects of various accountingalternatives that may be adopted than is financial accounting.1-38(10 min.)The main point of this question is that cost information is crucial for decisions regarding which products and services should be emphasized or de-emphasized. The incentives to measure costs precisely are far greater when flat fees are being received instead of reimbursements of costs.Note, too, that nonprofit organizations and profit-seeking organizations have similar desires regarding management accounting. Accountability is now in fashion for many purposes, including justification of prices, cost control, and response to criticisms by investors (whether they be donors, taxpayers, or others).When somebody's money is at stake, accounting systems get much love and attention. In a survey of 550 hospitals, hospital financial executives said that improved cost accounting systems "are crucial to responding to changes in hospital payment mechanisms and that better cost information is essential for more profitable and efficient operations." Hospitals will increasingly identify costs by product (type of case), not just by departments.1-39 (10 min.)Paperwork and systems often seem to become ends in themselves. However, the rationale that should underlie systems design is the cost-benefit philosophy or approach that is implied in the quotation. The aim is to get the managers and their subordinates collectively to make better decisions under one system versus another system -- for a given level of costs.Marks & Spencer should look at each of the management accounting reports it produces with an eye toward how it helps managers make better decisions. Does it provide needed scorekeeping? Does it direct attention to aspects of operations that might need altering? Does it provide information for specific management decisions? These types of questions will help identify the benefit of the information in the report.Then the company must consider the cost – not just the cost of collecting the data and preparing the reports, but the cost of educating managers to use the information and the cost of the time to read, digest, and act on the information. Too much information may be costly because it makes it time-consuming (and thus costly) to sift through the reams of information to find the few items that are important. And one cost may be the loss of important information because the total volume of information makes it too difficult to ferret out the important items.1-40(10 min.) Financial information is important in all companies. But how managers get and use financial information can differ depending on the culture and philosophies of the company.Top executives of a company often represent a functional area that is critical to the comparative economic advantage of the company. If technology is crucial, engineers generally hold important executive positions. If marketing differentiates the company from others, marketing executive s usually dominate. But regardless of the source of a company’s competitive advantage, its success will eventually be measured in economic terms. They must attend to financial aspects to thrive and often even to survive.Management accountants must work with the dominant managers in any organization. The modern trend toward use of cross-functional teams places management accountants at the center of the action regardless of what type of managers and executives dominate. Most companies realize that there is a financial dimension to almost every major decision, so they want the financial experts, management accountants, involved in the decisions. But to be accepted as an important part of these teams, the management accountants must know how to help managers in various functional areas. In General Mills, if accountants can’t talk the language of marketing, they will not have great influence. In ArvinMeritor, if they do not understand the information needs of engineers they will not provide value.1-41(10-15 min.)1. Boeing's competitive environment and manufacturing processeschanged greatly during the 1990s. An accounting system that served them well in their old environment would not necessarily be optimal in the 2000s. Boeing's management probably thought that changes in the accounting system were necessary to produce the kind of information necessary to remain competitive.2. A cost-benefit criterion was probably used. Boeing's management maynot have quantified the costs and the benefits, but they certainlyassessed whether the new system would help decisions enough towarrant the cost of the system.Many of the benefits of a better accounting system are hard to measure.They affect many strategic decisions of an organization. Withoutaccurate product costs, management will find it difficult to assess the consequences of their decisions. An accurate accounting system will help to price airplanes and other products competitively.3. More accurate product costs will usually result in better managementdecisions. But if the cost of the accounting system that produces the more accurate costs is too high, it may be best to forego the increased accuracy. The benefit of better decisions must exceed the added cost of the system for a change to be desirable.1-42(10 min.)1. There are many possible activities for each function of Nike's valuechain. Some possibilities are:Research and development -- Determining changes in customers'tastes and preferences for shoes and sportswear to come up withnew products (maybe the next "Air Jordans").Product and service process design -- Design a shoe to meet theincreasing demands of competitive athletes.Production -- Determine where to produce products and negotiatecontracts with the companies producing them.Marketing -- Signing prominent athletes to endorse Nike's products.Distribution -- Select the best locations for warehouses fordistribution to retail outlets.Customer service -- Formulate return policies for products thatcustomers perceive to be defective.2. Accounting information that aids managers' decisions includes:Research and development -- Trends in sales for various products, to determine which are becoming more and less popular.Product and service process design -- Production costs of variousshoe designs.Production -- Measure total costs, including both purchase cost and transportation costs, for production in various parts of the world.Marketing -- The added profits generated by the added sales due toproduct endorsements.Distribution -- Storage and shipping costs for different alternativewarehouse locations.Customer service -- The net cost of returned merchandise, to becompared with the benefits of better customer relations.。
Financial Management AssessmentWHY:Effective financial management is a critical success factor for project sustainability. Irrespective of how well a particular project or program is designed and implemented, if the executing or implementing agency does not have the capacity to effectively manage its financial resources, the benefits of the project are unlikely to be sustainable.WHAT:The financial management assessment (FMA) includes a review of the executing/implementing agency’s (EA/IA) systems for financial and management accounting, reporting, auditing and internal controls. In addition, the FMA involves a review of the EA/IA disbursement and cash flow management arrangements. The FMA is not an audit. It is a review designed to determine whether or not the EA/IA financial management arrangements are considered capable of and adequate for recording all transactions and balances, supporting the preparation of regular and reliable financial statements, safeguarding the entity’s assets, and are subject to audit (of substance and form acceptable to ADB). Issues or weaknesses identified during the FMA should be taken into consideration either through project design (i.e. including a component to strengthen financial management systems) or the development of project implementation arrangements (i.e. including a project administration/management office within the entity with necessary financial management skills and/or procedures).WHEN:The FMA should be completed as part of project preparation. The FMA should be completed as early as possible, preferably during project preparation, to allow for early detection and resolution of issues. If a PPTA is used to prepare the project, the initial results of the FMA should be included in the mid term report of the PPTA.HOW:The broad approach to a FMA is as follows:•Review country diagnostic assessments completed by ADB or development partners.1•Determine if a FMA has been completed by another donor. If so review and update if necessary.•If a FMA has not been completed for the EA/IA, the EA/IA, supported by PPTA consultants, should complete the financial management assessment questionnaire (FMAQ).•Based on the results of the questionnaire, determine what, if any, additional review/follow up is warranted•Identify issues or risks associated with the entity’s financial management systems and determine the most appropriate risk mitigation measures to be adopted as part of project design and/or project implementation arrangements•The results of the FMA should be noted in the RRP.WHO:The FMA is the responsibility of the Project Team although this work could be undertaken by consultants under the supervision of the Mission Leader and/or financial management specialist assigned to the project. The initial assessment may involve review of entity procedures, reports etc, many of which may be prepared in a language other than English. It is therefore suggested that the FMAQ be completed by domestic consultants (assigned to the PPTA, or engaged as staff consultants under a PPN process). DELGATED COOPERATION:Through the OECD-DAC and the MDB Working Group on Financial Management Harmonization, bilateral development partners and MDBs have agreed on the concept of delegated cooperation, essentially this is a willingness to accept the diagnostic work of others. The goal of harmonization is to reduce the administrative burden on DMCs. To that end, only one FMA should be completed for each executing or implementing agency. If a FMA has been completed by another donor, this can be relied upon (provided it is up to date and ADB is comfortable with the methodology employed).FOR FURTHER INFO:Guidelines for the Financial Governance and Management of Investment Projects Financed by ADB1Including: Country Financial Accountability Assessment (CFAA), Country Procurement Assessment Report (CPAR), Country Governance Assessment (CGA) and Diagnostic Study on Accounting and Audit (DSAA)Financial Management Assessment QuestionnaireSupporting DocumentsSuggestions:Financial regulations, standards or pronouncement used by the project/entityInformation concerning the legal and organizational structure of the entityExtracts or copies of important legal documents, agreements, or minutesInformation concerning the sector, economic and legislative environment within which the entity operates Evidence of consideration of the work of the Internal Auditor (if applicable) and conclusions reached Analyses of significant ratios and trends (revenue generating projects)Draft format of the financial statements produced by the project/entityCopies of communicationsChart of AccountsProject or entity Financial Management ManualAudit terms of referenceTerms of reference and curriculum vitae for key financial and accounting personnelOperational manualCopy of most recent audit report (if applicable)。
